NEW DELHI: Certain reports in the Malaysian media on Tuesday claimed that ten nations, including India, Malaysia and United Kingdom, could be barred from entering Japan for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics due to the surge in Covid-19 cases in these countries.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief Narinder Batra, however, has rubbished those reports.
“Zero,” said Batra when asked what the chances are of the reports being true.
The report published in a Malaysian daily claimed that the Japanese government had apparently asked the organising committee to consider putting 10 countries, which have seen a spike in Covid cases in the recent past, on a no-entry list.
The list, according to the report, included India, which is now recovering from a disastrous second wave of the pandemic.
The report also talked about stricter measures for the contingents from these 10 countries, including a 14-day quarantine.
But Batra categorically refuted the reports.
Read AlsoOlympics countdown: Full list of Indian athletes who have qualified for Tokyo Games so farA total of 99 Indian athletes across 13 sporting categories have so far (May 28, 2021) qualified or been named in the final squad by their respective federations for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics slated to begin July 23.”A similar news came about 15 days or three weeks earlier…absolutely zero truth in it,” the IOA chief told TimesofIndia.com.
Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 CEO, Toshiro Muto, also rubbished those reports.
He told the Malay Mail, “We have never heard of that.
It is completely groundless, we cannot consider it as a possibility.” “There is concern about the new variant from India.
For that reason, before they come to Japan, they need to be fully vaccinated.
That is the policy we have announced, 100 percent vaccination is recommended and required (for athletes) from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and other related countries,” Muto was further quoted as saying.